Silent Service

WWII submarine warfare documentary hosted by Keith David and Roger Mudd.

Episodes

Cast

The Boats of World War II

1. The Boats of World War II

6th Jan 2000

Meet the U.S. Navy submariners of WWII--hunters who lived under the sea in cramped and claustrophobic quarters as they stalked their victims. We'll see how Navy designers struggled to achieve a submarine design that ultimately proved to be the best underwater craft to fight in the war. Included are stories of the Squalus, whose crew was the first to be rescued from a disastrous sinking, and the Argonaut, the largest submarine built until the advent of nuclear subs in the 1950s.

The Captains of World War II

2. The Captains of World War II

13th Jan 2000

They were self-reliant individualists who forged a deadly team, and the initiative of individual submarine captains proved instrumental in the American victory in the Pacific. We'll see how trendsetters like Dudley Morton and Richard O'Kane brought new ideas to submarine warfare, showing that aggressive strategies, like surface running, were the best way to sink the most enemy ships. Sam Dealey, a submarine captain known as "The Destroyer Killer", is also featured.

The Torpedoes of World War II

3. The Torpedoes of World War II

20th Jan 2000

Only a few weeks after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the U.S. Navy experienced a failure of critical technology--the torpedoes that armed its fleet of submarines were defective. The ensuing debacle ranks as one of the great near disasters of WWII. We'll see how the exigencies of war clashed with entrenched bureaucracies and egos of the naval ordnance establishment. After two years of frustration the submariners prevailed and with effective weapons went on to achieve remarkable results.

Attack Plans of World War II

4. Attack Plans of World War II

27th Jan 2000

Examines the evolution of the strategy and tactics used by U.S. submarines in the war against Japan. Conceived as scouts for the surface fleet, the fleet of boats of the "silent service" found their true calling as heirs to the commerce-raiders of the American Revolution and Civil War. By embracing the once-condemned practice of "unrestricted submarine warfare", these stealthy predators of the deep virtually swept the Pacific of Japanese maritime shipping.

Wolfpack: U-Boats of World War II

5. Wolfpack: U-Boats of World War II

3rd Feb 2000

Submarines of the Atlantic

6. Submarines of the Atlantic

10th Feb 2000

Tracking the Enemy

7. Tracking the Enemy

17th Feb 2000

Submarine Special Ops

8. Submarine Special Ops

24th Feb 2000

Japanese Submarines

9. Japanese Submarines

2nd Mar 2000

Submarines of Russia

10. Submarines of Russia

9th Mar 2000

Deterrence from the Deep

11. Deterrence from the Deep

16th Mar 2000

First air date

6th Jan 2000

Last air date

16th Mar 2000

Status

Ended

Type

Documentary

Original language

en

Networks